NEW YORK—Tucked away amid the man-made structures of the city, is something special. Behind a 17-foot-high storm flood wall, and next to the largest wastewater treatment plant in New York, environmental sculpture artist George Trakas spoke to a crowd of about two dozen people next to Newton Creek, in Brooklyn, on Sunday.
The breezy weather, alternating between sunny and cloudy, formed the backdrop for the tour. Trakas designed the quarter-mile trail, called the Newtown Creek Nature Walk, along a cut of L-shaped land that makes the water accessible.
“It’s valued by the educational community, because it’s the only place where you can actually access the water,” Trakas said. “You can walk down to the water, and there’s not too many places in the city where you can do that.”
The region’s rich history weaves through the different areas of the nature walk. A 1,400-pound granite table has an etching of Newtown Creek’s original watershed and plaques next to most plants and trees elaborate on how Native Americans used them, often medicinally.
Trakas was one of eight potential artists in the running as the designer of the nature walk. His even-keeled narrative throughout the tour had the walking group paying attention to what he said. His passion for the area, and design, was evident.
The nature trail, open every day from dawn to dusk, is meant for the community. Numerous species of plants and trees had been planted, Trakas said, as “a learning palate for the local people.” Since the trail opened up the waterway, boats and kayaks can sometimes be seen docked on the edge for a spell.
Viewing water so close can be pleasant, though the area cannot be mistaken as one outside of the city. Looking left, some of Manhattan’s tall buildings can be seen. To the right, a warehouse. Across the creek, a pile of smashed cars.
Cars were smashed by a crusher right on the creek, Trakas explained. “Occasionally there would be gas left in
the gas tanks and there would be these explosions,“ he said. ”That’s part of past history, but it wasn’t that long ago actually.”
Sarah Durand, a biology professor at LaGuardia Community College, said that the water still needs to be purified. Marine life exists—such as grass shrimp, blue crabs, and some ribbed mussels—but the pollution hurts or kills the aquatic life.
Durand spoke with an “old-timer” about fishing for blue crabs. The old-timer’s advice was “Just leave them [the crabs] in the bathtub for several days, [with] a little saltwater, until the taste of oil goes out of them.”
Durand, along with another professor, and a team of students, received a $500,000 grant from the city for a pilot project aimed at making the water cleaner. The project includes installing mussel frames along the bulkheads, or vertical concrete slabs on the water’s edge, so the mussels can filter the water.
“A single mussel can filter about 50 liters of water a day, and you can imagine what tens of thousands of those mussels could do for this creek,” she said.
The nature trail has made the locals, at least those on the tour, happy. One longtime local resident joined the walking tour with her mom. As Trakas stood at the end of the tour, behind the 17-foot storm wall, she asked about how he became the project designer. After he described the process, she told him, “They picked the right person for the job.”
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